Mobile device-based authentication

ABSTRACT

Mobile device-based authentication is disclosed. A first biometric input corresponding to a first biometric feature of the user is captured on the mobile device. A first set of biometric data is derived from the captured first biometric input. The first set of biometric data is transmitted to a remote authentication server. Thereafter, a secondary authentication instruction is transmitted to the site resource in response. Access to the site resource is permitted based upon a validation of the first set of biometric data, and a second biometric input that is captured on the site resource in response to the secondary authentication instruction received thereon. The first set of biometric data and the second set of biometric data are validated by remote authentication server substantially contemporaneously.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLYSPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to biometric systems and accesscontrol, and more particularly, to mobile device-based authentication inconnection with secure transactions.

2. Related Art

The recognition of private property interests in general necessarilyimplicates the division of individuals into those with access, and thosewithout access. Commensurate with the perceived and/or actual values ofthe property interests, security protocols must be established to ensurethat authorized individuals readily have access, while unauthorizedindividuals are not, no matter what attacks and bypass attempts aremade.

In the simplest context, one private property interest may be in aphysical facility, and access to the inside may be safeguarded by akeyed mechanical lock on a door. The owner of the physical facility,along with any other individuals granted access thereby, may possess akey that unlocks the mechanical lock to open the door. Any otherunauthorized individual who does not have the key will be unable tounlock the mechanical lock. The mechanical lock, of course, may bebypassed in any number of different ways, including picking the lock,destroying the lock and the door altogether, or by pilfering the keyfrom the authorized individuals. To prevent unauthorized access despitesuch possible bypass attempts, the complexity of the lock may beincreased, the strength of the lock and the door may be bolstered, andso forth. Increasingly sophisticated attacks may defeat these furthersafeguards, so security remains an ever-evolving field.

A property interest may also lie in an individual's bank accounts,credit card accounts, retail installment accounts, utilities accounts,or any other resource that is frequently encountered and used in modernday life, access to which must be properly limited by security systems.In many cases, these resources or property interests can be accessedelectronically, and there are conventional security systems and devicesthat are currently in use. For example, access to monetary funds in abank account may be possible via an automated teller machine (ATM).Before disbursing any funds, the bank (and hence the ATM) must ensurethat the requestor is, indeed, who he asserts to be.

There are a variety of known techniques to authenticate, or verify, theidentity of the requestor. Authentication may utilize one or morefactors, which include something the requestor knows, something therequestor has, and something the requestor is. Most often, only one, orat most two factors are utilized because of the added cost andcomplexity of implementing additional authentication factors. In the ATMexample, the ATM card with basic accountholder information encodedthereon is one factor (something the requestor has), and access to theaccount is granted only upon the successful validation of acorresponding personal identification number (PIN, or something therequestor knows). Conventional banking services are also accessibleonline through the Internet, and while most financial-related webservices have additional security measures, access to some other lesscritical web services may be protected only with an account name and apassword constituting a single factor (something the requestor/userknows).

The secret nature of passwords and PINs, at least in theory, is intendedto prevent unauthorized access. In practice, this technique isineffective because the authorized users oftentimes mistakenly andunwittingly reveal their passwords or PINs to an unauthorized user.Furthermore, brute-force techniques involving the entry of everycombination of letters, numbers, and symbols, as well asdictionary-based techniques, may further compromise the effectiveness ofsuch authentication systems. Because passwords and PINs must bememorized, users often choose words that are easier to remember, makingit more susceptible to defeat by means of dictionary attacks. On theother hand, the more complex the passwords are required to be, and hencemore difficult to remember, the more likely that the password will bewritten on something easily accessible, for both the legitimate andmalicious user, in the vicinity of the computer. The usability of thePIN or password is an increasing concern due to the number of servicesthat employ such security modalities.

As briefly mentioned above, various hardware devices may be employed asa second authentication factor. These include simple magnetic stripencoded cards such as the aforementioned ATM card, as well as radiofrequency identification (RFID) devices, both of which require specificreaders at the point of access. Greater levels of protection arepossible with sophisticated tokens that generate unique codes orone-time passwords that are provided in conjunction with a firstauthentication factor. However, token devices are expensive to license,expensive to maintain, and cumbersome for the user to carry. As with anydiminutive device, tokens are easy to lose, especially when itrepresents yet another addition to the clutter of items that must bemanaged and carried on the person on a daily basis; many individualsalready have enough difficulty keeping track of keys, wallets, andmobile phones.

Acknowledging that the conventional mobile phone is ubiquitous and iskept readily accessible, such devices may also be employed as a secondhardware authentication factor. Prior to accessing an online service, aone-time password may be sent to the mobile phone, the number for whichis pre-registered with the service, as a Short Message Service (SMS)text message. Access is authorized when the same text message sent tothe mobile phone is re-entered to the service.

Much functionality is converging upon the mobile phone, particularlythose full-featured variants that have substantial computing resourcesfor accessing the web, run various software applications, and so forth,which are referred to in the art as a smart phone. For instance, creditcard payments and the act of physically presenting the physical carditself may be replaced with a software application running on the smartphone. The application may be in communication with a point of sale(POS) terminal via a modality such as Near Field Communication (NFC) orBluetooth low energy, and transmits credit card payment information,such as credit card number, expiration date, billing ZIP code, and othersuch verification information. The POS terminal may then complete thepayment process with the received information. Domestically, servicessuch as Google Wallet are in existence and progressing toward widespreaddeployment. Besides NFC and Bluetooth low energy, it is possible toutilize RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) type devices that areencoded with the aforementioned data.

As an additional authentication measure, a third factor utilizes uniquebiometric attributes of a person such as fingerprints, retinal andfacial patterns, voice characteristics, and handwriting patterns.Although prior biometric systems were challenging to implement becauseof the high costs associated with accurate reader devices and databasesystems for storing and quickly retrieving enrollment data, theincreasing demand for biometrics-based security has resulted in thedevelopment of substantially improved reader devices, and userinterfaces and back-end systems therefor. Currently there arefingerprint reader peripheral devices that are connectible to aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port on personal computer system, andrestrict access without providing a valid, enrolled fingerprint. Mobiledevices may also be incorporated with biometric readers, andfront-facing video cameras such as those already existing in smartphones such as the Apple iPhone may be utilized for facial recognition.

As noted above, there are divergent proposals for solving the issue ofauthenticating a user of remote service resources and ensuring that theuser is, indeed, who he asserts he is. Thus there is a need in the artfor an improved mobile device-based authentication in connection withsecure transactions.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method ofauthenticating a user to a site resource is contemplated. The method maybegin with capturing a first biometric input from the user on anintegrated first biometric reader on a mobile device. The firstbiometric input may correspond to a first biometric feature of the user.There may also be a step of deriving a first set of biometric data fromthe captured first biometric input. The method may also includetransmitting the first set of biometric data to a remote authenticationserver from the mobile device. Additionally, the method may include astep of transmitting a secondary authentication instruction to the siteresource in response to receipt of the first biometric input. There maybe a step of capturing a second biometric input from the user on asecond biometric reader connected to the site resource in response tothe secondary authentication instruction. The second biometric input maycorrespond to a second biometric feature of the user. The method mayfurther include deriving a second set of biometric data from thecaptured second biometric input. Furthermore, the method may includetransmitting the second set of biometric data to the remoteauthentication server from the site resource. There may be a step ofauthenticating the user for access to the site resource based upon avalidation of the first set of biometric data and the second set ofbiometric data against a pre-enrolled set of biometric data for the userstored on the remote authentication server. The first set of biometricdata and the second set of biometric data may be transmitted to theremote authentication server substantially contemporaneously, andvalidated for a successful authentication.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there iscontemplated a method of authenticating a user to a site resource with amobile device. The method may include capturing a first biometric inputfrom the user on the mobile device. The first biometric input maycorrespond to a first biometric feature of the user. There may be a stepof deriving a first set of biometric data from the captured firstbiometric input, along with a step of transmitting the first set ofbiometric data to a remote authentication server from the mobile device.The method may also include transmitting a secondary authenticationinstruction to the site resource in response to receipt of the firstbiometric input. Access to the site resource may be permitted based upona validation by the remote authentication server of the first set ofbiometric data transmitted from the mobile device. The validation mayalso encompass a second biometric input of a second biometric feature ofthe user captured on the site resource. The second biometric input maybe captured in response to the secondary authentication instructionreceived thereon, and transmitted to the remote authentication server asa corresponding second set of biometric data. For a successfulauthentication, the transmission of the first set of biometric data andthe second set of biometric data are validated and/or transmitted to theremote authentication server substantially contemporaneously.

The various aspects of the invention will be best understood byreference to the following detailed description when read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in whichembodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the contemplatedmethod for authenticating a user to a site resource;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a mobile devicewhich may be utilized in connection with the present disclosureincluding a fingerprint reader and a front-facing camera; and

FIG. 4A, 4B and 4C show an exemplary user interface for a softwareapplication running on the mobile device for authenticating the user tothe site resource in various states.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and thedetailed description to indicate the same elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of the presently contemplatedembodiments of mobile device-based authentication, and is not intendedto represent the only form in which the disclosed invention may bedeveloped or utilized. The description sets forth the various functionsand features in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to beunderstood, however, that the same or equivalent functions may beaccomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to beencompassed within the scope of the present disclosure. It is furtherunderstood that the use of relational terms such as first and second andthe like are used solely to distinguish one from another entity withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such entities.

The block diagram of FIG. 1 depicts one exemplary environment 10 inwhich various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.A user 12 is in physical possession of a mobile device 14 that hasvarious data processing and communications features as will be detailedmore fully below. The mobile device 14 is a smart phone type apparatusthat has a wireless network connectivity module 16 for placing telephonecalls over a mobile telecommunications network 18 managed by a serviceprovider 20, among other functions. The service provider 20 isunderstood to be connected to a greater telephone network 21. Currentlyseveral competing communication protocols, standards, and technologiessuch as CDMA2000, EDGE, UMTS, and so forth are deployed, depending onthe service provider 20. As will be recognized by those having ordinaryskill in the art, the wireless network connectivity module 16 includescomponents such as the RF (radio frequency) transceiver, the RFmodulator/demodulator, the RF front end module, one or more antennas,digital/analog converters, among other minor components as implementedin conventional communications devices. As will also be recognized, therelatively short range of wireless transmissions between the mobiledevice 14, there are multiple antenna towers 22 a-c, for example, thatprovide coverage for separate geographic areas 24 a-c, respectively. Theoperational principles of the telecommunications network 18 inconjunction with the wireless network connectivity module 16 are wellknown in the art, and to the extent any specifics are described, it isby way of example only and not of limitation.

The wireless network connectivity module 16 may also be utilized fordata communications besides voice telephone calls. In this regard, theservice provider 20 may also have a link to the Internet 23, the utilityfor which will become more apparent below. Aside from utilizing themobile telecommunications network 18, the wireless network connectivitymodule 16 may be configured for Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11x), Bluetooth, and thelike. One data communications modality that is also understood to beincorporated into the mobile device 14 is Near Field Communication(NFC), which facilitates simple data transfers between closelypositioned transceivers. Although some implementations may involve theintegration of NFC functionality into the wireless network connectivitymodule 16 and reusing the same sub-components, the embodiment shown inFIG. 1 contemplates a separate NFC module 24.

Among other functions, the higher level data transfer link managementfunctions are handled by a general purpose data processor 26. Inparticular, the general purpose data processor 26 executes programmedinstructions that are stored in a memory 28. These tangibly embodiedinstructions, when executed may perform the contemplated method ofauthenticating the user 12 with the mobile device 14. Additionally, themobile device 14 may have stored thereon programmed instructions thatcomprise software applications that provide functionality in addition tomaking and receiving telephone calls, such as simple message service(SMS) text messaging, e-mail, calendars/to-do, photography, videography,media playback, and web browsing, among many others. Some advancedmobile devices 14 may have a dedicated graphics processor and otherenhancements that accelerate performance, though for purposes of thepresent disclosure and the mobile device 14, such components areunderstood to be subsumed within the term, general purpose dataprocessor 26.

The results of the computation performed by the general purpose dataprocessor 26, and in particular the user interface for the applications,is displayed or output to a screen 30. Commonly, the screen 30 is aliquid crystal display (LCD) device of varying dimensions fitted to thehousing of the mobile device 14. Inputs for the computation and otherinstructions to the application are provided via a touch input panel 32that may be overlaid on the screen 30. In some implementations,, thescreen 30 and the touch input panel 32 are integrated, however. Besidesthe touch input panel 32, there may be alternative input modalities suchas a keypad. The arrangement of the keys may be different to fit withinthe dimensions of the mobile device 14. Along these lines, otherinput/output devices such as a microphone 34 for receiving audio orvoice signals is included, as well as a speaker 36 for outputting audio.For providing visual data to the mobile device 14, there may be anintegrated camera 38 comprised of a lens, an imaging sensor, and adedicated image processor connected to the general purpose dataprocessor 26. The camera 38 may be utilized to capture still images aswell as a video stream, the data for which is stored on the memory 28.Additional uses for the camera 38 are contemplated in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure, the details of which willbe described more fully below.

There are numerous variations of the mobile device 14 or smart phonethat are currently available on the market. Some notable ones includethe iPhone from Apple, Inc. and the DROID from Motorola, Inc. It is alsocontemplated that various embodiments of the present disclosure may beimplemented on mobile devices 14 besides smart phones or cellularphones, such as tablet-type devices including the iPad from Apple, Inc.,full features media player devices including the iPod again from Apple,Inc., and other portable digital assistant-type devices. The specificsof the mobile device 14 are presented by way of example only and not oflimitation, and any other suitable mobile device 14 may be substituted.

Broadly, one aspect of the present disclosure contemplates the use ofthe mobile device 14 to authenticate the user 12 for access to a siteresource 40. In one example illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 1,the site resource 40 is a point of sale (POS) terminal 42 and itsassociated components. In another example, the site resource 40 is anautomated teller machine (ATM), and in yet another example, the siteresource 40 is a personal computer system 46. In each of these examples,the site resource 40 is protected from unauthorized access, and thedisclosed method for authenticating the user 12 may be utilized topermit access. Accordingly, as referenced herein, the site resource 40is understood to encompass any access-limited system, including physicalfacilities, financial accounts, and so forth. The following descriptionwill be in the context of the POS terminal 42, but one of ordinary skillin the art will readily recognize the applicability or non-applicabilityand necessary substitutions for various disclosed features to implementthe contemplated mobile device-based authentication in other contexts.

With additional reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2, the method ofauthenticating the user 12 begins with a step 200 of capturing a firstbiometric input from the user 12 on an integrated first biometric reader48 on the mobile device 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile device 14 isunderstood to include a case 50 defined by opposed left and right sides52 a, 52 b, respectively, opposed top and bottom sides 54 a, 54 b, afront face 56 on which the screen 30 and the touch input panel 32 isdisposed and is coplanar therewith, and an opposite rear face 58. Thebiometric reader 48 may also be disposed on the front face 56, thoughthis is merely exemplary. The biometric reader 48 may alternatively bedisposed on any of the sides 52, 54, or the rear face 58. Those havingordinary skill in the art will be capable of optimizing the position ofthe biometric reader 48 in accordance with the ergonomic needs of theuser 12. As an alternative to the integrated biometric reader 48, it isalso possible to attach an external variant via an external datacommunication port 62 typically included with the mobile device 14.

In one embodiment, the biometric reader 48 is a fingerprint sensor, andso the aforementioned first biometric input from the user 12 is thefinger, or more specifically, the fingerprint. The fingerprint sensorcan be, for example, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a passivecapacitance sensor, or an active capacitance sensor. It is alsocontemplated that the touch screen 32 may have sufficient resolution tonot only detect touch input, but also to detect individual ridges andvalleys of a fingerprint. In such embodiments, the biometric reader 48is understood to be incorporated into or part of the touch screen 32.Instead of the fingerprint sensor, an imaging device such as theon-board camera 38, with sufficient macro focus capabilities, may beutilized to capture an image of the fingerprint. It will be appreciatedthat any other type of sensor technology known in the art or otherwisecan capture characteristics of a person's fingerprint can also beutilized.

Implementation of other types of biometrics and corresponding biometricreaders in the mobile device 14 are also expressly contemplated. Forinstance, facial recognition and iris pattern recognition using aforward-facing camera 38 on the front face 56 of the case 50 may bepossible. Additionally, the voice of the user 12 as recorded by themicrophone 34 may also be utilized as the first biometric input.Although the features of the mobile device-based authentication will bedescribed in the context of scanning fingerprints, it will be understoodthat any such other biometrics may be substituted. Thus, the user 12 whomay not necessarily have intact fingers or clear fingerprints may alsoutilize the disclosed mobile device-based authentication.

The capture of the first biometric input may be initiated by specifyingthe same to a dedicated application running on the mobile device 14.With reference to an exemplary user interface 60 of the applicationshown in FIG. 4A, there may be an activatable button 66 that can be“pressed” by the user 12 with the appropriate, pre-designated fingerpositioned on the biometric reader 48. Instead of an applicationinterface-based button 66, the mobile device 14 may have an externallyaccessible hardware button 67. As the biometric reader 48 acquires theimage of the fingerprint, an indicator may be displayed on the userinterface 60, or the button 66 may be rendered in a subdued color torepresent that no other function can be invoked at the same time. Thefingerprint is to be compared against an existing fingerprint storedremotely, so the specific finger (thumb, index, middle, ring, little)that is scanned is the same as that stored. To enforce the scanning ofthe proper finger, the user interface 60 may include directions to thiseffect.

Before displaying the activatable button 66 for initiating the captureof the biometric input, an optional passcode entry dialog 72 as shown inFIG. 4B may be displayed. In further detail, the passcode entry dialog72 may include activatable numerical buttons 74 that can be pressed toinput a passcode. The corresponding digits, which may be masked, may bedisplayed in a text box 76. The inputted passcode is compared to apreset passcode, and only when the two matches is access to the button66 permitted.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the application interface may be also be segregatedinto an upper section 92 and a lower section 94, with the button 66being located in the lower section 94. The upper section 92 may displaya barcode 96, a QR code, or other machine readable graphical element forproviding payment or discount information to a conventional readerwithout NFC capabilities. Along these lines, e-commerce applicationssuch as those available from Groupon and the like may be incorporatedwith the foregoing biometric input features of the present disclosure.

Referring again to the flowchart of FIG. 2, the method continues with astep 202 of deriving a first set of biometric data from the capturedfirst biometric input. In many embodiments of the fingerprint scanner,an image of the fingerprint is generated and stored in the memory 28.Because comparison of the raw fingerprint image is computationallyintensive and requires a substantial amount of processing power andmemory, select highlights of pertinent points is derived. A much smallerdataset representative of the fingerprint is generated, and can be usedas a basis for further comparison. Depending on security requirementsand the degree of false positives or negatives acceptable, the number ofelements in the first set of biometric data can be modifiedcommensurately.

The method then proceeds to a step 204 of transmitting the first set ofbiometric data to a remote authentication server 68, which is connectedto the Internet 23. As indicated above, the mobile device 14 is alsoconnected to the Internet 23 at least via the service provider 20. Othermodalities by which a data communications link between the mobile device14 and the Internet 23 can be established are also contemplated.Together with the first set of biometric data, other identifyinginformation such as a mobile device identifier number and anauthentication server login account may be transmitted to the remoteauthentication server 68. Due to the sensitivity of this information,the data communications link between the mobile device 14 and the remoteauthentication server 68 may be secured and encrypted to minimize thevulnerabilities associated with plaintext attack vectors.

Sometime after capturing the first biometric input and deriving thefirst set of biometric data therefrom, the mobile device 14 may beplaced in close proximity to an NFC receiver 70 that is connected to thesite resource 40. The use of NFC herein is presented by way of exampleonly, and other competing technologies such as Bluetooth low power mayalso be utilized. Furthermore, although the use of these wireless datatransfer modalities is contemplated for most implementations, there aresituations where hardwire transfers are appropriate as well. Forexample, when communicating the with personal computer system 46, themore likely available modality is a wired link with the mobile device14. When within the operational transmission distance, or when otherwiseready to initiate a transmission, a secondary authentication instructionis transmitted to the site resource 40 in accordance with a step 206.The secondary authentication instruction can therefore be said to betransmitted to the site resource 40 ultimately in response to thereceipt of the first biometric input. In some embodiments, theaforementioned step 204 may be omitted, that is, the first set ofbiometric data may be transmitted to the NFC receiver 70 instead of tothe remote authentication server 68. The first set of biometric datawill eventually reach the remote authentication server 68, albeit notdirectly from the mobile device 14. Along these lines, while the varioussteps of the method are described in a certain sequence, those havingordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some steps may take placebefore others, and that the order is exemplary only.

Next, according to step 208, the method may include capturing a secondbiometric input from the user 12 on a second biometric reader 78 withina set time period following the receipt of the secondary authenticationinstruction. Again, a second set of biometric data is derived from thecaptured second biometric input in accordance with a step 210. Like thefirst biometric reader 48, the second biometric reader 78 may be any oneof the more specific examples described above, such as fingerprintreaders, cameras, and so on.

The second biometric input is understood to correspond to a secondbiometric feature of the user 12. There may be implementations andconfigurations in which the first biometric feature is the same as thesecond biometric feature. For example, the left thumb may be read byboth the first biometric reader 48 as well as the second biometricreader 78. Preferably, however, the first biometric feature will bedifferent from the second biometric feature to decrease the likelihoodof successful attacks. In another example illustrating this aspect, thefirst biometric feature may be the right thumb, while the secondbiometric feature may be the left index finger. This variation alsocontemplates the possibility of both of the hands of the user 12 beingengaged to biometric readers concurrently, though the other variation ispossible where a reasonable delay between inputs are permitted beforetiming out.

In accordance with step 212, the method continues with transmitting thesecond set of biometric data to the remote authentication server 68 fromthe site resource 40. Now, with both the first set and the second set ofbiometric data as provided to the mobile device 14 and the site resource40, respectively, per step 214, the user 12 is authenticated for accessto the site resource 40. More particularly, the first set and second setof biometric data is validated against a pre-enrolled set of biometricdata for the user 12.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, the remote authenticationserver 68 includes a biometrics enrollment database 80 that storesrecords 82 of each user 12 registered or enrolled therewith. Each record82 may include a user identifier 84, an enrolled first biometric dataset 86 and an enrolled second biometric data set 88. Previously, it wasnoted that the captured biometric input corresponded to a biometricfeature of the user 12, with a reference or enrolled set being stored onthe remote authentication server 68 for comparison and validationpurposes. In the illustrated example, the first biometric feature wasthe right thumb, while the second biometric feature was the left indexfinger. Previously scanned versions of the biometric feature, and/or thecorresponding set of biometric data is understood to be theaforementioned enrolled first biometric data set 86 and the enrolledsecond biometric data set 88. In addition to the foregoing, the record82 may have other information such as a device identifier 90 that isunique to the mobile device 14, such as an SSN (Subscriber IdentityModule Serial Number), IMSI (International Mobile SubscriberIdentifier), Wi-Fi MAC (Media Access Controller) number, and the likethat further validate the mobile device 14 and by implication, the user12 thereof.

As will be recognized by those having ordinary skill in the art, theenrollment of the biometric data may be achieved in any number ofconventional ways. For example, upon initial purchase of the mobiledevice 14, the user 12 may be requested to go complete an enrollmentprocedure in which multiple biometric inputs from the user 12 arecaptured and uploaded to the remote authentication server 68.

If it is determined that the pre-enrolled set of biometric data ismatched to the received first set of biometric (from the mobile device14) and the second set of biometric data (from the second biometricreader 78 connected to the site resource 40), then the user 12 isdetermined to be valid, and is permitted to utilize the site resource40. The validation of the first biometric data set and the secondbiometric data set occurs substantially contemporaneously, that is,simultaneously, or at least perceptively simultaneously to the user 12.Of course, certain delays associated with the various data transmissionsare expected, so the receipt and validation of the biometric data has apredefined timeout period. Even if there is a successful validation ofthe second set of biometric data, it the timeout period expires, thereis an authentication failure.

A timeout period may also be enforced on the mobile device 14. Referringto FIG. 4A, after the first biometric input is captured, the userinterface 60 may display a countdown timer 90. During the countdown, themobile device 14 is enabled to transmit the secondary authenticationinstruction to the site resource 40, so long as it is in close proximityto the NFC receiver 70. Upon expiration of the countdown, further datatransfers may be blocked unless the first biometric input isre-captured. In one embodiment, the countdown may be fifteen to twentyseconds in length, thought it may be any other suitable duration. Theduration of the countdown may be extended, possibly indefinitely, bypressing a remain active button 92 also generated on the user interface60. This countdown extension may be made either immediately before orafter the first biometric input is captured.

For additional security, the remote authentication server 68 may refuseto accept the first set of biometric data unless it is determined thatthe transmission originated from a location known to be geographicallylocal to the site resource 40. One exemplary implementation may employan identifier of the specific antenna tower 22 appended to thetransmission of the first set of biometric data, as each antenna tower22 has limited geographic coverage. Another implementation may involvethe retrieval of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates from themobile device 14, and correlating it to the known geographic location ofthe site resource 40. This location data may be provided to theauthentication server 68 upon installation of the site resource 40, ormay be transmitted together with the second set of biometric data whilein use. It is understood that any transmission modality may be utilized,including hard wired and wireless connections. Those having ordinaryskill in the art will recognize other possible location-basedrestrictions for the authentication procedure.

The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes ofillustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present disclosureonly and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to bethe most useful and readily understood description of the principles andconceptual aspects. In this regard, no attempt is made to show detailsof the present invention with more particularity than is necessary, thedescription taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled inthe art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodiedin practice.

1. A method of authenticating a user to a site resource, comprising:capturing a first biometric input from the user on an integrated firstbiometric reader on a mobile device, the first biometric inputcorresponding to a first biometric feature of the user; deriving a firstset of biometric data from the captured first biometric input;transmitting the first set of biometric data to a remote authenticationserver from the mobile device; transmitting a secondary authenticationinstruction to the site resource in response to receipt of the firstbiometric input; capturing a second biometric input from the user on asecond biometric reader connected to the site resource in response tothe secondary authentication instruction, the second biometric inputcorresponding to a second biometric feature of the user; deriving asecond set of biometric data from the captured second biometric input;transmitting the second set of biometric data to the remoteauthentication server from the site resource; and authenticating theuser for access to the site resource based upon a validation of thefirst set of biometric data and the second set of biometric data againsta pre-enrolled set of biometric data for the user stored on the remoteauthentication server; wherein the first set of biometric data and thesecond set of biometric data is transmitted to the remote authenticationserver substantially contemporaneously and validated for a successfulauthentication.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticationfails upon a time lapse exceeding a predetermined threshold between thetransmission and validation of the first set of biometric data and thetransmission and validation of the second set of biometric data to theremote authentication server.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thecapturing of the biometric input is in response to an authenticationrequest input from the user on the mobile device.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein the authentication request input is received from the userfollowing a challenge-response sequence.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the first biometric reader and the second biometric reader areselected from a group consisting of: a fingerprint scanner, an audiomicrophone, and an imaging camera.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thesite resource is selected from a group consisting of: an automatedteller machine (ATM), a point of sale (POS) terminal, and a personalcomputer system.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first biometricfeature and the second biometric feature of the user are different. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the first biometric feature and thesecond biometric feature of the user are the same.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the secondary authentication instruction to the siteresource is transmitted over the wireless Near Field Communication (NFC)protocol.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondaryauthentication instruction to the site resource is transmitted over thewireless Bluetooth low power protocol.
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